Tennessee’s baseball program is a stable one as the 2020 fall season comes to a close. The Vols return an abundance of players from a 2020 team that entered SEC play 15-2 before COVID-19 abruptly ended the season.

Tennessee’s players are eager to prove that they can sustain the program’s success from the last two seasons against the best in the SEC.

“Obviously, the returning guys would have loved to have seen where we ended up at the end of the year,” infielder Max Ferguson said. “Ultimately we didn’t get that opportunity with COVID and the season getting canceled. I know a lot of guys are hungry to get back out there and show what they have, but it is a new team and a lot of new faces. We’re excited to see where we stack up.”

Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello has been pleased with his team this fall, believing the team has picked up where it left off in March at the plate and in the field.

“I think with the bats and with the defense,” Vitello said. “I think some guys have made jumps pitching wise. The world finally got to see what we knew was happening with the transformation of Garrett Crochet. He was always a big time weapon for us in the program but he was going to be something different last year once he was kind of unleashed.”

Tennessee, like it did a year ago, has a much more complete roster than it did in 2019 when the Vols returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.

Crochet remains a massive difference maker though. Any talent deficiencies Tennessee did have against the nation’s best, Crochet was able to fill that gap. The tall left hander gave the Vols a Friday night weapon in the SEC that the program hadn’t had in over a decade.

Entering 2021, the question now turns to who will replace Crochet as the Vols’ ace.

“That’s the one area when you look on paper there’s a separator between this team and last year’s team,” Vitello said. “We had a guy who could be a dominant Friday starter and that changes the whole weekend when you have that. … We have several candidates that could be that guy but by no means do we have someone that’s stepped forward and been that guy.”

Jackson Leath and Jason Rackers were two guys Vitello mentioned by name as contenders to replace Crochet. Both arrived as junior college transfers last season with Rackers never debuting due to injury. Leath turned in a 4-0 record and 1.42 ERA while starting and being used out of the bullpen. Leath has big time stuff, striking out 29 batters in 18.2 innings.

Camden Sewell and Chad Dallas are also guys that will compete for that role. Dallas filled in as Tennessee’s Friday night starter a year ago when Crochet was out, posting a 2.53 ERA in four starts. Dallas is a solid arm but his stuff may limit him from being a top end SEC starter.

Sewell has been a major arm in Tennessee’s bullpen since his freshman season. The third year sophomore just pitched in one game last season as he recovered from a back injury.

While he’s unlikely to be UT’s Friday starter, freshman Blade Tidwell has impressed this fall. The 6-foot-4, 200 pound right hander grew up a Vol fan in Loretta, Tennessee and his fastball is sitting at 95-98 MPH this fall.

“He’s not scared,” Vitello said of Tidwell. “He meshed with our younger guys really well and I think that’s because his goals are aligned with those of our older players, not even older, but ambitious players that embody what we’re trying to do here. It made for a

seamless transition for him. They like his work ethic. He has some toughness to him and when you’ve got some ability, I can hear the outfielders behind me in the scrimmage. It’s easy to get on board with a guy when he’s throwing a firm fastball and a really good breaking ball.”

The high velocity fastball is something Tennessee’s roster doesn’t seem to have this season after Crochet and Andrew Schultz could hit triple digits the last two years. That ability may make Tidwell more intriguing out of the bullpen.

Freshman left hander Jake Fitzgibbons also earned compliments from Vitello and his teammates.

Familiar faces are a common theme of Tennessee’s lineup. All five infield starters are back from a season ago, as well as bench guys Pete Derkay and Trey Lipscomb that were earning playing time when the season ended.

“There’s a lot of guys that have been around, been around the league and know the way Coach V (Vitello) wants things done and the high standard we hold this program too,” Ferguson said. “I just think they’re able to instill that in the younger guys and help them grow and gel with us as a unit.”

Even with so many returning pieces, Vitello stated that he would still try out a lot of different lineups and options, particularly before SEC play begins in March.

Tennessee’s outfield will have some turnover with Alerick Soularie and Zach Daniels heading to the MLB. The loss of power from those two guys will be felt, but despite this Vitello believes his outfield is stacked and playing time will be hard to come by.

“Being an outfielder in our program right now is tough,” Vitello said. “We’ve got more than three guys that have the potential to play in the big leagues in the outfield. Now they’re different ages and I’m not saying we have three .400 hitters out there, but guys that have that type of potential.”

The outfield was the most competitive part of Tennessee’s roster a season ago with six guys vying for spots, so it’s not shocking Vitello has so much confidence there. Matt Turino, who played sparingly last season, transferred this offseason due to the lack of playing time.